Shrinking corporate travel budgets and the proliferation of communication platforms like Skype and video conferencing have created a highly competitive market for convention centers and their surrounding hotel partners.  Fortune 500 companies, including the likes of Wal-Mart, Dell, Google, IBM, McDonald's and Kohl’s have made sustainability a top priority and many have incorporated sustainability into business travel and venue selection policies.

Meeting planners now have a plethora of venues to choose from in addition to increasing pressure to comply with new sustainability guidelines.

A recent survey of corporate travel managers by the National Business Travel Association indicates nearly 30%of managers incorporate green components into their travel policies and that nearly 25% prefer green meeting suppliers.

Summed up by Al Hutchinson, Vice President of Convention Sales for Virginia Beach’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, “Our commitment to the environment is not only a preferred amenity, but a requirement for some meeting planners looking to book their events. They consider LEED (Certification) to be the premier third-party “Seal of Approval” for meeting facilities in regard to environmental criteria.”

Increased demand for LEED Certified venues has led to growing competition in the convention industry as follows:

• There are currently 19 LEED Certified Convention Centers in U.S.
• There are 34 Convention Centers registered and in the process of LEED Certification

There are two major Rating Systems within LEED: one is for new construction (NC) and the other is for existing buildings, operations & maintenance (EBOM). Both are based on point accumulation through completion of credits that are approved by the GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute) to determine the level of LEED Certification - certified, gold, silver and platinum. The LEED EBOM Rating systems is blazing a trail, by integrating “green” into daily operations and maintenance practices proving that it is more important how you manage rather than how you design/build.

In the words of Orange County Convention Center’s Director of Operations, Fred Baker, “We decided to go through the rigorous LEED Certification process in order to create a more competitive business environment, expand our market share, satisfy demand by our clients and guests for a sustainable facility, earn 3^rd party verification of the green technologies already implemented and to contribute toward a more organized focus on our sustainable activities.”

As a LEED & Sustainability Consulting company, ecoPreserve’s advice on the topic remains steadfast --- Keep your options open. Regardless of your current desire or ability to achieve LEED Certification, every dollar that goes into a retrofit/renovation project should incorporate LEED best practices so that you are following solid environmental methodology and are prepared for the eventuality of certification.